Carnivàle/Alamogordo, NM

Alamogordo, NM
Season 2, Episode 2
Airdate	January 16, 2005
Production Number	202
Written by	William Schmidt
Directed by	Jack Bender
← 2x01 Los Moscos	2x03 → Ingram, TX
Carnivàle — Season Two

Alamogordo, NM is the second episode of the second season of Carnivàle, and the fourteenth episode overall.

Guest-Starring:

Co-Starring:

Featuring:

Plot Overview

Justin, during another of his radio sermons, uses the radio to free Varlyn Stroud from prison, and sends him across the country in search of Scudder. Justin himself is more concerned with breaking the first ground of his new church: the Temple of Jericho, built at the base of the hill where he saw the tree from his dreams (and the one emblazoned on the Usher's chest). He has also enlisted a new maid, Celeste, whom he psychically molests during the Jericho groundbreaking ceremony, and whom, it is strongly implied, was drawn there by one of Justin's radio sermons (which are heavily seeded with telepathic commands).

Ben, meanwhile, has arrived at St. Dymphna's Convalescent Home, in Albuquerque, NM in search of Father Kerrigan, the ex-chaplain of the Templars in Loving, NM. On the way to Kerrigan's room, one of the nuns explains to Ben that Kerrigan's list of permitted visitors bears only two names: Ben's and Scudder's. Kerrigan's room is literally covered in paintings, sketches, and other depictions of the Tattooed Man, while Kerrigan himself huddles in the corner ranting quietly to himself. Ben leaves, but not before taking one of the sketches of the Tattooed Man.

On his way back to the carnival, he sees the Tattooed Man walking along the roadside, but when he stops, it turns out to be Sofie. She breaks down crying, and he drives her back to the carnival. Samson encourages Sofie to stay with the carnival, and even asks Ben to look after her. He quickly reveals to Ben that this, too, is at Management's behest.

Management explains that Ben needs to find an old woman in Ingram, Texas, who wrote the poem on the back of the drawing Ben took. Management also reveals the identity of the Tattooed Man: he is the Usher of Destruction. The carnival packs up and heads for Texas.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• When Ben touches Kerrigan, he eases the insane man's mind. This is a manifestation of Ben's ability to spiritually heal people, which he has used before on the mother whose baby died outside of Milfay.
• Dolan himself is continuing his investigation into the Dignity Ministry fire, and learns from Eleanor that Iris always stopped by the Ministry at night to tuck the children into bed.
• Stroud begins his search for Stroud at the remnants of the Hawkins family farm. He finds a postcard which sends him on his way to Tipton.
• Justin begins seeing a mysterious woman in Chinatown. This will later be revealed to be a tattoo artist, who is replicating the Usher's tattoo for him. This raises obvious questions about not only the nature of the Usher, but the identity of Sofie's father as well (whom she saw bore an identical tree tattoo during Apollonia's vision).

Characters

• Iris frets over Justin's relation with Dolan. Justin is condescendingly unconcerned. He even dedicates the new Temple of Jericho to the children who died in the Dignity Ministry fire, while shooting Iris a very pointed look.
• Samson implies that Stumpy has been withholding money. Although Stumpy turns over the money without incident, this is the first hint that Stumpy is going to run into serious financial difficulties.
• Troublingly, Ruthie begins to see individuals who had died many years earlier. The first is Skeeter Lewis, whom she does not even realize is dead until he fails to meet with her and Samson explains that he's been dead for years.
• Lila, still waiting for Lodz's return, searches his trailer, only to find his wallet and another billfold, both stuffed with money. This only helps confirm her suspicions that Lodz did not leave the carnival out of his own volition, but rather that something unexpected has happened to him.
• Trying to get over what happened to her, Sofie adopts a manual labourer position with the carnival, much to the disgust of many of the other male rousties.

Referbacks

• At one point while Sofie wanders on her own, we see that her shadow is being followed by that of someone cloaked in a long, flowing veil. This is a reference to the fact that even though she's dead, Apollonia's spectre still haunts Sofie.

Dream Sequences and Visions

• While at the asylum in Albuquerque, Ben has a vision of Justin praying to a statue of the Virgin Mary, whose eyesockets appear deformed and melted, holding a baby Jesus. As Ben watches, the baby moves its head to look at Ben.
• During his visit with Kerrigan, Ben has a vision of Scudder performing a particularly violent ritual. Situated in front of a diamond drawn on the floor in blood, Scudder bites the head off of a snake. The diamond is divided in two, and bears a a striking resemblance to the show's logo (which is also the logo of the carnival). Scudder places the head of the snake in the upper triangle (where the moon is in the logo) and the body of the snake in the lower triangle (where the sun is in the logo). The camera pans and reveals a naked Kerrigan witnessing the ritual, though Kerrigan is once again huddled against a wall and seemingly terrified by what's going on.
• At the reception for the Temple of Jericho, Justin catches sight of a young blonde across the crowded tent. Their eyes meet, and the girl rips her shirt open and begins clawing at her chest, drawing blood. Then we see her shirt is unripped but, still looking at Justin, she begins sobbing uncontrollably. The preacher moves over to her and begins hugging her.

Trivia

Allusions and References

• On his way back from the asylum, Ben passes by a smooth expanse of white sand: the site of the future Alamogordo Test Range. As he hears the trademark siren wailing faintly in the background he darts back to the truck and drives away.
• Upon returning to the carnival, Sofie takes up residence in Lodz's carnival. What this might refer to, we don't know. Inside, she finds the Nine of Swords on her/Lodz's pillow, signifying cruelty and despair.